WVU VS-CoBRE seeking applications for Pilot Project Program

The Visual Sciences Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (VS-CoBRE) at the West Virginia University School of Medicine is seeking applicants for its Pilot Project Program, which provides financial support to research pilot projects focused on visual sciences.

This specific funding opportunity seeks to support basic and translational pilot projects focused on visual sciences that utilize the Visual Function and Morphology Core, enable acquisition of preliminary data for federal grant application and cultivate a team of new investigators as potential project leads for the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence.

The Pilot Project Program expects to support pilot projects of up to $75,000 in direct costs for one year. Applications will be reviewed for scientific rigor, impact and feasibility based on the budget and scope of the project. This funding opportunity is to open to all full-time, tenured, or clinical-track tenured faculty at WVU. Priority will be given to junior investigators.

Applications must include a project summary, a list of key/senior personnel and their project roles, a biosketech of key personnel and other significant contributors, a detailed budget and corresponding budget justification, a list of current and pending support, a research plan and a bibliography. To view a full list and breakdown of all application criteria, visit the Pilot Project Program webpage.

The application package must be submitted in a single PDF package before 5 p.m. on Friday, September 25, to Caitlin Cather, MPH, program coordinator for the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine ccather1@hsc.wvu.edu.

Previous VS-CoBRE Pilot Project award recipients include Eric Horstick, PhD, assistant professor for the Department of Neuroscience; and Rong Liu, PhD, assistant professor for the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine.

The VS-CoBRE at the WVU School of Medicine is funded through a substantial grant from the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health and specializes in developing innovative methods and novel therapies for preventing, treating and slowing the progression of uncurable blinding diseases. To learn more about VS-CoBRE at WVU, visit the official webpage.